Information Update - November 2024
The Windrush 75 in Warwickshire Event which took place on Tuesday 29th October 2024 at the Rugby Library was very successful.
Positive feedback was received from attendees. They were pleased to learn that the Windrush Story would continue, be recorded for posterity in the Warwickshire archives and shared with the wider community and younger generations.
EQuIP's YouTube page has now been updated with two new PowerPoint films:
- The Windrush Generation - Their origins and journey - https://youtu.be/k5b-_lfVGRs
- Rugby West Indian Association - A Historical Snapshot - https://youtu.be/xr9FLBq1XL
75 pieces of information were collected for the Windrush 75 in Warwickshire Project through the hard work, commitment and dedication of:
- Sherril Donaldson
- Steve Vassell
- Tamara Greaves
- Vendon Wright
- Sharon Forman
- Angela Dunne
- Gill Colbourne
This project has been a partnership between the following organisations:
- The Equality and Inclusion Partnership (EQuIP)
- Warwickshire County Record Office
- Warwickshire Libraries
EQuIP would also like to thank the National Lottery Community Fund for their support in making this project possible.
The Windrush Project film has now been broken down into 8 mini films for easier viewing. To access the segments please click on the links below:
1. Leaving family behind - https://youtu.be/53ffGXagjEA
2. Getting to England - https://youtu.be/LDWQQYz1u_4
3. First Impressions - https://youtu.be/Nd5os6t6hSE
4. Schooldays - https://youtu.be/xnu98Y_iOfs
5. Working Lives - https://youtu.be/M8AYGSKEm1w
6. Bringing communities together - https://youtu.be/MIFNKzgEry4
7. Music & Food - https://youtu.be/sX8ghI3G2b8
8. Racism - https://youtu.be/05iESAUGNeI
The 75th anniversary of the arrival in the UK of HMS Empire Windrush was celebrated on Thursday 22 June 2024.
EQuIP was delighted to have been awarded a grant from the Big Lottery to celebrate Windrush in Warwickshire this anniversary with a particular focus on collecting and sharing 75 items, stories, photos and memories to mark the year.
The items formed a wider programme of raising awareness of the experiences of diverse and Black Caribbean communities coming to Warwickshire, their memories and stories underpinning a special exhibition that toured libraries
Junaid Hussain, Chief Executive of EQuIP, commented:
“We were delighted to have been supported by the Big Lottery to support our Windrush in Warwickshire 75 celebrations.
“Residents from the Windrush generation and their descendants were invited to share their words, experiences and items relating to their culture. 75 itemswais our aim, and they included a number of significant, important and relevant to each person involved whether a story, photo or object.
“In 2021 we commissioned a video which is still available on our YouTube page called ‘Stories of the Windrush Generation’ based on Warwickshire resident’s experiences and this new project will build on that.
“Alongside working with established community groups, I am very pleased to be working so closely with Warwickshire’s County Records Office and the Warwickshire Libraries on developing and showing this exhibition.
“If anyone would like to get involved, then please do get in touch.
Windrush Day on 22nd June marks the day when approximately 500 migrants from the Caribbean arrived at Tilbury Docks, Essex in 1948 on the HMT Empire Windrush. Over 500,000 Caribbeans living in the UK, who arrived between 1948 – 1971, are referred to as the Windrush Generation’.
Link to video here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7Qho_NZ5qI) - 2022
